RCMP need help with 8-year-old mystery

KELOWNA – A young man with a bright future disappeared eight years ago and his family would like some closure.

Aaron Charles Derbyshire, who was 22 years old at the time, was out with friends at the Level Night Club on Leon Avenue in downtown Kelowna on Sept. 20, 2006. At about 1:40 a.m. his friends stepped outside the night club to watch a fight. He stayed inside the bar and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

RCMP say investigators have checked out hundreds of tips and done hours of interviews but have not learned anything that would help them solve the case.

Aaron's mother Glenda Derbyshire tells Global Okanagan she is convinced her son was accidentally killed and it was covered up with his body burned on a slash fire. She says the information came from a secret group which specialized in finding missing people.

RCMP will only say they are aware of the information and will not comment on rumours or speculation, according to the Global Okanagan report.

“Police believe that someone out there knows what happened to Aaron and could help bring closure to this case,” Const. Kris Clark says in a media release. “Investigators need your help and are asking anyone who has any information regarding the whereabouts of Aaron to come forward and finally bring peace to his family.”

Aaron is described as a Caucasian male, 5’ 10” tall, 160 lbs, clean shaven with short brown hair. He was last seen wearing a dark blue plaid shirt and dark jeans.

Anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of Aaron Charles Derbyshire is asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

OPINION Editor, This is a busy time of year, but I find it’s also a time of reflection, particularly as January marks the end of my two-year term as Chair and my 10 years serving on the Board of Interior